Foundation garment



Dec. 31, 1946. IHSEN 2,413,502

FOUNDATION GARMENT Filed Dec. 20, 1945 ZNl ENTOR Pa'ten'teHDec. '31, 1946 ENT orrlce limimimoN GAltMENT Hulda M. lhsen; Allentown, Pa., as"signo'r to Charis 'Corporation.a corporation of N ew'York' Application December 20, 1945 Serial No. 636,091 (01. 240) Claims,

. Q. 1 I This invention relates to foundation garments and particularly to improvements in all-in-one unda on rment whe e t e brassire member made i i lakw th. the ird e. m mb r. y al tachlfient along vertical seams, at the sides but withoutattahhment along the; bottom front edge of. the brassiere member.

such garments there are ordinarily a plulit f har ela tic andil elasticfabric panels.

A l 2 Av g With the is nstryctiop of this invention, however, the front panels ofthe girdle member carry a p ral ty; of Y Sho er; su rimposed: p s a tached along their sides so that they lie across each other inwardly over; the front portion of the garment. These-superimposed panels carry spaced' boned members set in longitudinal pock-.

ets so arranged that the boned members on each half of a panel layer areparallelto but just ofiset from lcorresponding boned members in another; panell layerw Preferably the boned members in.

each .such panellayer are set slightly obliquely to the longitudinal axis of the garment so that the boned members onone half of the panel layer ten'dto converge atthe top -of the garment toward the boned memberson the other half of the panel layer.

With this arrangement" the superimposed panel layers" are adapted to .act in cooperation with each other and also in cooperation with boned members set in the side and back panels. These latter. members are's'ub stantially longer than the boned members in the front section and form a continuous boned structure running longitudinally from the top to the bottom of the garment. The boned members in the front section, howe ever, are set in overlapping layers and are discontinuous and are particularly adapted to actv cooperatively and independently in molding the figure of the wearer in erect and in forwardly and sidewardly inclined positions.

The continuous boned members in the back section of the garment can be considered as bracing and controlling members at all times while the overlapping and discontinuous boned members in the superimposed layers act as bracing members when the wearer of the garment is in substantially erect position but when bending forward or sideways the shorter boned members garment at 28. The intermediate panel layer I8 I g 2 give readily and permit the freedom and comfort.

When bending forward from the neck or shoulder line, the short boned members are readily displaced spatially without placing the boned members themselves under substantial tension. In other words, the short boned members are placed so that they are adapted to lie substantiallyunfiexed across the body of the wearer .in

wearer considerable such? case rather than to be forced against the body of the wearer under tension.

In my invention both elastic and inelastic panel members may be used. Further,-in the construction shown, the outer front panels do not contain-boned members but it is possible in accordancewith my invention to place some of the short boned members in the outer front panels and thereby provide for an additional set of boned members in the front of the garment or,-when boned members are set in the outer front. panel, one. ofv the superimposed panel layers may be eliminated. 1 1

In the accompanying drawing a specific embodiment of the invention is shown and, of course,

variations inthe-construction may be made within the concept of the invention. a

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 issubstantially a front view of the foun dation garment; Fig. 2 i a side view partly in section; and Fig. 3 is a back View partly in section of the front portion of the garment taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 except that in addition the zipper opening 16 is shown.

In. the embodiment in the drawing the front panel member of the girdle member Ill contains panels. l2, l4 and 16. Superimposed on the front panel, member 10 isan intermediate panel layer I8 and superimposed on the intermediate layer I8 is an inner panel layer 20. Both the intermediate panel layer l8 and the inner panel layer 20 are best shown in Fig. 3. The boned members are placed parallel to but offset from each other on eitherchalf of corresponding portions ofthe intermediate panel layer l8 and the inner panel layer was shown at 22 and 24 respectively. In the preferred construction the front section H] does not carry boned members in the seams shown at 26.

As shown in Fig. 1 th front section In extends at its center point from a point just below the bust line downwardly to the base line of the extends from the top edge 30 at a point below the bust line downwardly to the bottom edge 32 of the intermediate panel layer l8 and the inner 3 panel layer :29 extend from the top edge 34 downwardly to th bottom edge 36. Both the intermediate panel layer and the inner panel layer have substantially the same Widths at corresponding points and are attached to the outer front section along the seams 38 and 40.

The intermediate panel layer is preferably relatively short and so placed in the garment that it extends from just below the bust line of the wearer downwardly approximately one-quarter of the length of the front panel member. The inner panel layer is somewhat longer and is so placed in the garment that it extends from approximately above the waistline of the wearer downwardly below the groin line. The front panel member is is cut so that it extends at the center front portion from a point intermediate the bust downwardly to a point below the hips.

The strap members :32 are shown attached to the upper center portion of the outer front section it at ts extending upwardly on either side to the top edge of the brassiere member where the straps are attached at 36 and 58 respectively. The strap member continues on upward from this point and forms one leg of an inverted V on either side of the brassiere member, the other legs 59 and 52 being turned down and similarly attached at the top edge of the brassiere member.

Adjustable slides 5d are inserted at this point for.

adjustment of the strap members. The Strap members terminate at the back of the garment as shown in Fig. 2 at 5B.

Elastic gussets 58 and 60 are shown attached.

to the lower edge of the band member and to the sides of portions of the front panels;

The short superimposed elastic member 62 lies across the top of the side panel 64 andas shown is set-at an angl relative to the underlying material-in such-manner that its normal-stretch follows the angular displacement of the material relativelto the underlying material.

Continuous boned members set in spaced relation in the back and side panels of the garment are shown at 65, 68,16, 12 and I4.

A zipper opening 75 may be provided as shown and garter supports '53 are attached at the base line of the garment;

I claim:

1. In a foundation garment the construction which comprises a plurality of shaped fabric panels joined together to form a circumferential foundation garment,- a brassiere member attached in part to upper portions of such panels but without attachment along the bottom front edge of said brassire member, a plurality of boned members set in seams in the back and side panel members and running continuously longitudinally and in spaced relation from the base of said panels to the top of said panels, a front portion of the garment comprising a front panel member and a plurality of shorter superimposed panels attached to such panel member along its sides so that they lie across each other inwardly over front portions of thegarment, the superimposed panels carrying spaced boned members set in substantially longitudinal pockets so arranged that the boned members on each half of one panel layer are parallel to but just offset from corresponding boned members in another panel layer, one of such panel layers being relatively short and so placed in the garment that it extends from just below the bust line of the wearer downwardly approximately one-fourth of the length of the front panel, and another of such panel layers beingsomewhat longer and so placed in the garment that it extends from approximately above the waistline of the wearer down- 'wardly approximately below the groin line of the wearergthefront panel member itself being so cut that it extends at the center front portion from a pointintermediate the bust downwardly to a point beloi'ivt'he hips, and strap members attached at the upper center front portion of the front panel member and also attached at the top of the brassire member and being adapted to fit over the shoulders of the wearer of the garment and terminating by attachment at the back of the garment.

2. A structure as specified in claim 1 in which the boned members in each half of the superimposed panel layers are set slightly obliquely to the longitudinal axis of the garment so that the boned members on one half-of a panel layer tend to converge at the top of the garment toward the boned members on the other half of the panel layer. i

3. A structure as specified in claim 1 in which the boned members'in th side and back panels are substantially longer than the boned members in the front panel whereby they form a continuous boned structure running longitudinally from the top to slightly above the bottom of the garment in contradistinction to the boned members in the front panels which are so disposed as to be overlapping and discontinuous with respect to each other whereby such boned members are particularly adapted to act cooperatively and independently in molding the body of the wearer in erect and forwardly and sidewardly inclined positions. l. A structure as specified in claim 1 in which elastic gussets are attached at the bottom edges of the brassire member at either side and also attached longitudinally to side panels of the garment. 7 g

' 5. A structure as specified in claim 1 in which elastic gussets are attached to the lower edge of the brassier member at either side thereof and also attached longitudinally to adjacent portions of thefront panels and in which a superimposed elastic layer is attached to upper portions of elastic side panels at either side of the garment suchelastic layer being placed at an angle'relative to the longitudinalaxis of the garment so that the line of stretch of said superimposed layer is angularly disposed with respect to th line of the stretch of the underlying layer of elastic material.

I HU'LDAM. IHSEN. 

